Automatic steering of space craft



Aug. 25, 1964 A. T. DEUTSCH 3,145,531

AUTOMATIC STEERING OF SPACE CRAFT Filed July 28. 1961 INVENTOR Alexander1*. Deus'alz ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,145,531 AUTOMATIC STEEG0F SPAE CRAFT Alexander T. Deutsch, 1604 19th St. NW., Washington 9,D.C. Filed July 28, 1961, Ser. No. 127,657 Claims. (Cl. 60-4554) Thisinvention relates to steering of space craft propelled by a jet ofgases, charged ions, or the like, by controlling the direction of thereaction jet with respect to the axis of flight of the craft. In apreferred embodiment, this invention includes the steering of spacecraft by magnetic deformation of ionic propelling exhaust jets from thenormal flow thereby using the deflected particles to alter the course ofthe space craft.

As a second embodiment of the invention, exhaust propelling jets aredeflected in the desired steering direction from one or more of severalangularly disposed exhaust nozzles located at the propelling outlet ofthe space craft.

In a further modification of the present invention, a few of severalsymmetrically disposed jets are caused selectively to operate arcuate tothe space crafts longitudinal axis to control the course of the spacecraft in flight. My steering units may, as embodied in this invention,be used to directionally control such space craft as manned and unmannedrockets, space craft for interplanetary travel, rocket nose cones, andthe like.

This invention is further described in relation to the drawings herein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a craft whose exhaust is divided among a plurality oftangentially disposed outlets;

FIG. 2 illustrates a similar sectional view wherein a fanshaped exhaustcomprising a plurality of propelling jets, each of them individuallycontrollable;

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed modification of controlled jet outlet inwhich a pivotal exhaust outlet is provided for directing the exhaust gasjet;

FIG. 4 illustrates the detailed modification of FIG. 3 in partiallydeflected position;

FIG. 5 further illustrates the detailed directional controlling means ofFIG. 3 in total deflecting position;

FIG. 6 illustrates a steering embodiment of this invention as applied toionic plasma, conducting, or polarized fluids;

FIG. 7 shows an arrangement of radially disposed magnets taken as an endview of FIG. 6 while,

FIG. 8 illustrates a type of magnetic control instrument for activatingthe steering magnetic fields;

FIG. 9 illustrates a further modification using magnetic steeringwhereby the magnets are oppositely disposed and,

FIG. 10 illustrates a means for protecting the wall from the corrosiveproperties of the exhaust jet, using a magnet.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the exhaust jet entering the radial exhaustmanifolds 10 and 11 as shown by direction arrows 12 would normally passstraight through and out of the space craft by exhaust 16, but accordingto this embodiment the exhaust jet may be deformed by the radial housing14 into a circular or arcuate path and directed to one of the steeringunits. The first jet nozzle 16 contains a controllable valve 18 which isnormally open so that the gas is propelled substantially in thelongitudinal axis of the craft. However, this valve 18 may be closed andone or more of the other valves such as 20 or 21 may be opened, wherebythe gas will pass tangentially from outlets 22 and 23 respectively. Byopening either valve 20 or 21, a torque moment is imparted to the spacecraft about its equilibrium point; and the space craft will be steeredin the direction of arrows 24 or 25 respectively. Alternately, if thevalves 26 or 27 3,145,531 Patented Aug. 25, 1964 are opened, the exhaustwill pass through outlets 28 or 29, thereby directing the craft indirections indicated by arrows 30 or 31. If both valves 26 and 27 areopened simultaneously while the valves 16, 20 and 21 remain closed, aretarding retro thrust will be imparted to the space craft thus slowingthe craft down. In addition, several of the nozzles may be used incombination for controlled flight stability of the craft. The valves 18,20, 21, 26 and 27 may be controlled as rotary or sliding plugs actuatedelectrically through a circuit shown by wires 32, remotely connected toand actuated by a control instrument within the craft. These valves mayalso be sliding armatures as solenoids, radially perforated, andoperated within the passageways 16, 23, 29, 22 and 28.

In an alternate method of steering, as illustrated in FIG. 2, theexhaust jet entering the housing 44 through inlet 46 is divided forcontinuous flow exhaust through each of several nozzles 48, 50, 52 and54 which are open in normal operation for simultaneous emission of theexhaust gases as a plurality of jets. Each of these jets are controlledby valves 56, 58, 6t) and 62 respectively which are shown in the openposition. These valves are also independently controllable from a remoteposition for rotation or sliding, whereby any of the outlets may beclosed as desired for steering. Thus the closure of valves 60 and 62terminating the exhaustion through nozzles 52 and 54 causes jets 48 and50 to unbalance the exhaust nozzle propulsion and to direct the spacecraft accordingly.

In the device shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust jet entering passageway 12 isintercepted and guided by a pivotally mounted nozzle 34, upon a pivot36. The inlet passageway 12, in the exhaust housing It flares arcuatelyinto a cup-shaped flange 38 against which the inner pivotal end 40 ofthe pivot 36 is supported in a pair of ear-shaped brackets 42, eachextending from a peripheral edge 64 of the arcuate exhaust flange 38.The nozzle 34 has an upper 66 and lower 68 arcuately curved surface. Thenozzle further has a tapered bore comprising outlet 70. In operation fornormal flight, the nozzle passageway 70 is pivotally placed coaxial withthe exhaust outlet 12. When it is desired to eflect a steering of thecraft, the nozzle 34 is moved arcuately on its pivot so that the innerand sliding contact with the flange 38 partially interrupts the gas flowas shown in FIG. 2 with a portion of the gas passing through nozzle 12being emitted along the outer arcuate surface 66, and the rest of thegas passing through the now rotated nozzle 70. Both beams of gas areemitted angular to the housing 10 with a corresponding change ofdirection of the space craft integral therewith. Of course, if thenozzle 34 were deflected arcuately even a greater distance, all the gasemitted through nozzle would impinge upon the outer surface of thearcuate surface 66 or the nozzle 34 deflecting the gas in greater volumeand to a greater angle for a radical turning torque. While the nozzle 34is pivoted by gear 36 for swinging movement in one plane, the planeitself can be rotated by the flange portion 38 being joined rotatably tothe housings 10 and 72 and a ring gear 74 mounted with a spur gear 76driven by a motor 78. The gears 36 and 76 may be mounted for drivingrotation to any plane desired therely giving universal steering centralto the space craft.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate modification, useful primarily where thepropulsion medium is an ionized plasma, formed preferably as describedin my copending application, Ser. No. 39,392 filed June 28, 1961, wherethe ion containing gas formed in a plasma bottle shown as 80, enters thenozzle outlet 12 for emission from the rocket as a propulsive jet. Asthe ionized jet stream leaves the nozzle, it may not be subjected tosteering forces and it will therefore have no steering eitect upon theexhaust housing 10 or space craft integral therewith. Consequently, thepropulsion will be in a straight line as shown by the directionalpointer. The housing 10, however, carries a series of magnets 82,energized electrically at will through lines 84. As shown in FIG. 7,these magnets 82 are supported in an an nuiar ring by a flange 86,integral with the housing 10. The magnets preferably are in oppositenorth and south pole pairs 82, 82b, 82c, etc. These pairs of magnets, asshown in FIG. 8, may be separately energized as alternate contact in arotary switch box 88 having a dial 90 which may be rotated to a desiredmagnetic contact position for alternately energizing pairs of magnets82a, 8217, etc. The ionic particles of the jet will tend to be moved atright angles to the applied magnetic field. In operation if, forexample, 82a magnets were magnetically energized, the jet of ionized gasemitted through nozzle 12 will become deflected according to magneticattraction-repulsion theory, toward one and away from the other,depending upon whether the ionic charge upon the gas is positive ornegative. The effect, then, would be to eject the outlet beam of gasbetween the pair of magnetic poles with subsequent steering effect bythe magnetic field upon the housing 10 and the space craft integraltherewith. Of course, the arrangement of electrical contacts inswitching box 88 is such that the polarity between magnets 82:: isreversed with the consequent reversal of the force effect upon theemitted ionic gas jet and the direction in which its beam is chargedwith a consequential reversal of the direction of the steering of thecraft. For this purpose, of course, the 82a-82c wires may continue in acontinuous series. For instance, before the magnets 82a would bereversed, magnets 8212 would be first activated in the same direction,the 820; 82b contacted again but in reverse direction, then 82a, but inthe reverse direction, etc. A consequence is that full dirigibility isavailable through application of paired magnets in the entire 360 cycle.

It is possible in an alternate procedure as shown in FIG. 9 to have themagnetic segments 92 mounted in opposite sides of a rotary magnetcarried in an annular housing 94 supported by flanges 96 attached to thehousing 10 for rotation through bearings disposed in an annular groove98. The outside of the housing may have a spur ring gear which mesheswith a spur gear 102 for driving rotation by a motor 104 mounted uponthe bracket 96. In this manner the magnetic segments 92 may be rotatedto any desired position by actuation of the motor 104 with consequentapplication of the magnetic forces in any plane. This magnetic type ofsteering may be applied not only to the plasma but to any polarized gasor gas seeded with ions responsive to a magnetic field.

Magnets may be mounted protectively, as well as for steering, at variousplaces of an exhaust passageway normally carrying gaseous ions. Forinstance, as shown in detailed FIG. 10, a pair of magnets 106 are shownwhich serve primarily to protect the outlet against the excessivetemperature of an ionized gas and other corrosive characteristics.Similar protective magnets 108, as shown in FIG. 2, may be mounted atvarious places to repel such points protecting them from excessive heat.Various modifications within the description given may be made by thoseskilled in the art and accordingly the description given is intended tobe arbitrary and not 4: limiting except as defined in claims as appendedhereto.

I claim:

1. In a means for steering a jet propelled device, comprising elongatedannular walls, a main outlet jet coaxial with the body of said device topass a propelling gas outwardly coaxial with the direction of movementof said device, means in said device for ionizing propellant gasespassed therethrough as a jet, magnetic means for concentrating theionized gas centrally of said device inward from the annular confiningwalls thereof, magnetic means for diverting the axial direction of flowof the concentrated jet as it is propulsively emitted from said device,and means for varying the direction of said magnetic field to effectsteering of said device.

2. The combination of a jet propelled device and a means for steeringsaid device, comprising means in said device for producing aconcentrated beam of ionized propellant gases, a main outlet in saiddevice through which said concentrated beam passes, said main outlethaving a diameter substantially enlarged with respect to theconcentrated beam of ions passing therethrough, magnetic means mountednear said main outlet for producing a magnetic field, diverting theaxial direction of flow of the said concentrated beam of ions as it isemitted from said outlet, and means for varying the direction of saidmagnetic field whereby to efiect steering of said device responsive tosaid variation of said magnetic field.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein the magnetic means comprisesa series of radially disposed magnets selectively energizable as polarpairs at a selected radial angle with respect to said jet.

4. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein the jet comprises an ionicplasma.

5. Device as defined in claim 2 wherein the magnetic means compriseopposite polar elements rotatably mounted about said jet and means forrotating said magnets to provide a magnetic field about said jet at anypreselected angle for the diversion of said jet for consequent steeringeffect thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS855,165 Cutter May 28, 1907 1,642,752 Landon Sept. 20, 1927 1,690,043Wallis Oct. 30, 1928 2,102,421 Kuehni Dec. 14, 1937 2,465,457 JohnstonMar. 29, 1949 2,763,125 Kadosch et al Sept. 18, 1956 2,868,478 McCloughyJan. 13, 1959 2,875,578 Kadosch et a1. Mar. 3, 1959 2,907,915 GleichaufOct. 6, 1959 2,974,907 Eggers et al Mar. 14, 1961 3,036,430 Eggers et alMay 29, 1962 3,041,824 Berhman July 3, 1962 3,049,877 Sherman Aug. 21,1962 3,071,154 Cargill et a1. Jan. 1, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,025,715France Jan. 28, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES 0 Practical Plasma Rocket?, Space/Aeronautics Magazine,

March 1960, pp. 5054.

1. IN A MEANS FOR STEERING A JET PROPELLED DEVICE, COMPRISING ELONGATEDANNULAR WALLS, A MAIN OUTLET JET COAXIAL WITH THE BODY OF SAID DEVICE TOPASS A PROPELLING GAS OUTWARDLY COAXIAL WITH THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENTOF SAID DEVICE, MEANS IN SAID DEVICE FOR IONIZING PROPELLANT GASESPASSED THERETHROUGH AS A JET, MAGNETIC MEANS FOR CONCENTRATING THEIONIZED GAS CENTRALLY OF SAID DEVICE INWARD FROM THE ANNULAR CONFININGWALLS THEREOF, MAGNETIC MEANS FOR DIVERTING THE AXIAL DIRECTION OF FLOWOF THE CONCENTRATED JET AS IT IS PROPULSIVELY EMITTED FROM SAID DEVICE,AND MEANS FOR VARYING THE DIRECTION OF SAID MAGNETIC FIELD TO EFFECTSTEERING OF SAID DEVICE.